Hail Brigit; an Old-Irish poem on the Hill of Alenn

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Slan seiss, a Brigit co mbuaid
Hail Brigit.

HAIL BRIGIT

OLD-IRISH POEM ON THE HILL OF ALENN

EDITED AND TRANSLATED

BY

KUNO MEYER

"2.

HALLE A. S. DUBLIN

AX NIEMEYER HODGES, FIGGIS & CO., LTD.
1912

HAIL BRIGIT

AN OLD-IRISH POEM ON THE HILL OF ALENN

EDITED AND TRANSLATED

BY

KUNO MEYER

HALLE A. S. DUBLIN

MAX NIEMEYER HODGES, FIGGIS & CO., LTD.
1912

VB
SS-

582262^

TO

EICHARD IRVINE and EDITH BEST

IN MEMORY

OF OUE, VISIT TO KNOCKAWLIN ON JUNE 19Tn 1910

AND OF MANY OTHER HAPPY HOURS

SPENT IN THEIR COMPANY

BERLIN

CHRISTMAS 1911

nPHE Old-Irish poem here printed and translated for the
-■- fìrst time has for its theme the disappearance of the
pagan world of Ireland and the triumph of Christianity,
as exemplified by the deserted ruins of the ancient hill-
fort of Alenn contrasted with the flourishing state of the
neighbouring Kildare. Indeed the poem reads like an
amplification of Oengus' lines in the Prologue to his Fèlire:

Borg Ailinne uallach atbath lia slòg mbdgach:
is mòr Brigit huadach, is càin a rruam ddlachA

'Alenn's proud citadel has perished with its warlike
host: great is victorious Brigit, fair is her multitudinous
cemetery.'

The hiU of Alenn,2 now called Knockawlin,3 is situated
in the county of Kildare, not far from Old Kilcullen, and
still contains vestiges of what was the largest fort in Ire-
land after Emain Macha. It has often been described.-*

1 See The Martyrology of Oengus, ed. by Wh. Stokes, 1905,
p. 25.

^ This is the oldest form of the name, a feminine a-stem,
making its genitive Alinne and its dative and accusative Alinn.
Forms with II appear early, and in the latter half of the ninth
century the genitive Alend occurs, as if the nom. were Aliv^
See RC. XX, p. 10 {i n-òenuch Alend) and^ LL 45 b (Ènna Ailend,
spelt AiUenn 393 a). JL

^ By folk-etymology, as if Cnoc Àlainn 'Delightful HiU'.

^ As e. g. by the late Mr. T. O'NeiU Russell in CZ. IV, p. 340. ■♦

1

6

According to an early tradition the wall or rampart
of Alenn was constructed by Art Mes-Delmonn,i son of
Sètna Sithbacc, king of Leinster, tliough it had been a
royal seat even before his time.2 In an ancient alliterative
poem on his death, ascribed to Briccine mac Brigni, Alenn
is mentioned as the stronghold from which he descended
upon his enemies:^

Màl adruàlaid iathu marh, mac sòer Sèfnai;
selaig srathu Fomoire for dòine domnaib.
JDi òchtur Aìinne oirt triunu talman,
trèbunn trèn tuathmar Mes-Delmonn Domnann.

'A prince has gone to the meadow-lands of the
dead, the noble son of Sètna. He ravaged the straths of
Fomorians over worlds of men. From the height of Alenn
he slew the mighty ones of the earth, a powerful captain^
of many tribes, Mes-Delmonn of the Domnainn.'

The tradition that Alenn was a seat of the Leinster
kings before the time of Art Mes-Delmonn is borne out
by a very ancient poem, where it is mentioned together
with Tara and Crùachu (Rathcroghan). This is a composi-
tion of twenty-two stanzas called Fursunnud Laidcinn, i. e.

1 That this, and not Mes-Telmonn as it is sometimes written,
is the correct form is shown by alliteration : mac Mis-Delmond
dorar màr, LL 51 b.

^ Is lais conrotacht mùr nAlinne, licet antea ciuitas regalis
fuit, Eawl. B. 502, p. 118 a 30 = LL 311 b 31 and 378 a. Art Mes-
Delmand mac Sètna cedna conacclaid mùr nAilinne, Dinds. 17
(RC. XV, p. 309). Cf. also the poem on Alenn in E. Gwynn's
Metrical Dindsenchas II, p. 80.

3 See Rawl. B. 502, p.ll8a32, LL 311 b 33 and 378 a 19.

* Literally, 'tribune'.

*The Illnmination of Laidcenn (mac Bairchedo)', preserved
in a single copy only in Rawlinson B. 502, p. 116c. This
remarkable poem is one of few revealing a metrical system
which has never been' noticed before. This system stands
midway between the old alliterative rhythmical poetry and
the later syllabic rhymed unrhythmical poetry. There is
rhythm, each verse having as a rule three, and sometimes
four or two stresses; there is alliteration from word to
word and from verte to verse; and there are full disyllabic
rhymes at the end of the couplets. It is therefore not
unreasonable to assume that we have here to do with
poems belonging to a period when the introduction of
rhyme into the old purely alliterative metres prepared the
way towards a complete adoption in Irish poetry of the
rhymed metres based upon the Latin church hymns.
The lines referred to are:
OUdam Elgga aigthide Amlohgaid àn Oengus
adtreb toeha Temro,^ tosnorf^ arid n-oenlus.
Ailenn chruind, Cruachu, cainu'^ dun dindgnai,
duir conserad ròmdce rìgrad ruad rindgnai.
'The dread ollam of Ireland, the noble Great Supporter^
Oengus, dwelt on the sides of Tara; he vanquished it by
his sole strength.'*

1 attreb toebu temra Ms. For the spelling attreb compare
atrefea, Ml. 107 a 15.

' dosnort Ms.

3 Read either càine or càinem.

* Here arid n- seems to contain the personal instead of the
possessive pronoun of the 3 sg. m. {id n-).

5 The name which is here written Amlongaid has undergone
many changes in the course of time. It is best known in its

1*

8

Round Alenn, Cruachu, faìrest ^ of hiU-forts, . . .2
glorious strong kings of spear-craft.'

Oengus Ollam Amlongaid was the son of Ailill Abrat-
chàin and grandson of Labraid Loingsech. See his pedigreei
in Rawl. B. 502, p. 1 17 f. He was slain by Irero mac Meilge,
ib. 135 b 46. But the Leinster king who is most frequently
associated with Alenn is Find fili mac Rossa Rùaid. While
his brother Corpre Nio-fer made himself king of Tara,
and his brother Ailill mac Màta by virtue of his maternal
descent ruled in Connaught, Find became king of Leinster
•^ith his residence at Alenn. The three brothers and their
royal seats are celebrated in many poems dating from
various periods. The oldest is one ascribed to Senchàn
Torpèist, a wellknown poet of the seventh century:^

Tri maicc Buaid, ruirig flaind:

fiangal^ Find, Aiìill aclier, còem Corpre.^

latest form Amàlgaid, where g as it does often stands for ng.
In AU. 717 we find Amaìngaid, gen. Amalngado 592. The Book
of Armagh (fo. 10 bl) has Amolngid. But the earliest Old-Irish
form has been preserved by the scribe of Rawl. B. 502 wlio on
p. 144 g writes Anblongaid. This clearly stands for *an-folangid
'great supporter', just as the gen. Anfolmithe goes back to the
ogham Ana-vlamattias, as John MacNeiU (Notes on Irish Ogham
Inscriptions, p. 358) has sl^wiir ^ ,

^ Literally, 'excellence'. "^

2 I can make nothing of duir conserad. An leg. conrerad?

8 See Rawl. B. 502, p. 118 b 15, LL 311 c 34 and 380 a 13.

* This line occurs with a slight change in the Fursunnud
Laidcenn (Rawl.B. 502, 116 c): Finn fili, Ailill acher, caem Cairpre.

* It is interesting to find this epithet applied to Find mac
Rossa. The more one studies these old texts, the more evident
it becomes that the connexion of Find mac Cumaill with the hill

9

Càine dind dem i fòat:

Alenn cliruind, Criiachu, Temair tJiòehglan.

'Tliree'sons of Ruad, noble great kings: Find of the
valour of warbands, fierce Ailill, loveable Carbre. Fairest
of hills 1 is the shelter 2 in which they sleep : ^ round
Alenn, Cruachu, bright-sided Tara'.

In the same way the three brothers and their residences
are celebrated in a poem placed in the mouth of Conchobor
mac Nessa at the end of Cath Buiss na Mig^^ and again
in the following unassigned verses in LL379b34:
Amra in mhaicni maicne Eossa, radh gin mehail,
Oiliìl a Cruachain,^ Find i nAillinn, Cairpri i Temair.

A poem on the thirty-five kìngs of Leinster who were
also high-kings of Ireland likewise mentions them as
follows, adding the name of a fourth brother:^
Boss Btiad, Find file a hAlìnn, Ailill mac Bosa rohind,
Corpre Nia-fer co n-aeh ùath is Conchohor Ahratruad.

Lastly, there was a poem on the three brothers by
Orthanach, of which however the first verse only has been
preserved : ^

Can tri macco Bùaid din rind 7 rl.

of Allen rests on a confusion with his namesake and of Alenn
with Almu (Allen). It is remarkable that among the kings 'who
loved to be at Alenn' our poem mentions Find mac Roith (§ 18),
whose name, so far as I know, occurs nowhere else.

* Literally, 'excellence of hills'.

2 As to this meaning of dem see my Contributions s. v. * *

3 Cf. is uar in adba i fàat, Otia Merseiana I, p. 125.

* See Hogan's edition, p. 5.
5 Read Oilill Crùachna.

8 See Rawl. B. 502, p. 83a44. ' Ibid., p. 118 b 17.

10

The ■ hill of Alenn was the scene of several battles.
Sirna Sirsàeglach mac Dèin is said to have been slain
there by Rothechtaid Ratha,i and Etarscèl Màr mocii leir
by Niiadu Necht.2 In 728 A. D. a battle between Dùnchad
and Fàelàn, the sons of Murchad mac Brain, king of
Leinster, for the succession of the kingship was fought
there.3

When exactly Alenn was abandoned as a royal residence
we do not hear. It must have been between the death of
Bran mac Conaill, the last king mentioned in our poem
as having resided there, and the composition of the Fèlire,
i. e. between the years 695 and the end of the eighth century.

It is a pity that the poem has reached us in a single
copy only. This will be found in the Book of Leinster,
p. 49 b 9 ff. The shortcomings of the scribe of this Ms.
are by now notorious, and unfortunately his copy of the
poem forms no exception to his careless habits, so that
we are repeatedly obliged to have recourse to emendation
and conjecture. Besides, the Ms. has become illegible in
several places. In one case the facsimile does not represent
the exact reading of the original.'*

There can I think be no doubt that our poem was
composed during the Old-Irish period. As unmistakeably
Old-Irish forms I would instance the s-subjunctive seiss 1,

1 See Rawl. B. 502, p. 135 a 1.

2 Ibid., p. 135 b 3.

^ Bellum Ailenne inter duos germanos filios Murcliado maic
Brain 7 Dùnchad senior iugulatus est. lunior Faelanus regnat,
AU. 727. In his reference to this passage in the Index the editor
has confused Alenn with Almu.

* See CZ. VIII, p. 182.

i

11

ò dorèccu 3, mruig 10, the verb-noun hoitJi 13, cut[n]gare
17, immudrà 25, the use of uae 6, 22, 26 and of niò
{nepos) 16 as disyllables. The archaic order in fèin co
ngairg 13 may also be mentioned. All this would speak
for the eighth or early ninth century. On the other
hand, the use of fìl in relative function (1) instead of 0.
Ir. file, which still occurs in the Fèlire (Prol. 336), of
ronalt for 0. Ir. rodnalt^ 15, and of cruach 'bloody' as
a monosyllable seems rather to point to the end of the
ninth. However, the use of tiri Gall (11) in the sense
of 'lands of the Gaul' i. e. France, forbids us, I think,
to put the poem later than the early part of the ninth IH
century before Gall had changed its meaning to 'Norseman'.
The poem is composed in the metre rannaigecht mòr.
The last word of the first and third verses assonate regularly
with the rhyme. When they do not so assonate they must
rhyme with a word in the following verse.2 The only ex-
ception to this rule will be found in §§11 and 21 where
trdth and neoch are left without rhymes in the fourth verses.
There is throughout so-called fìdrad freccomail^ i. e. the
last word of each stanza alliterates with the first or the
first accented word of the following stanza. Here c and
g (as in 5/6, 7/8, 8/9, 11/12) count as alliteration. In
stanza 5 the repetition of ni mair and in 15 the repetition
of Life are a sufficient link; in 17 Cathàir may be intended
to form a link with Currech Corjpri; but in 20 and 21 I
can find no alliteration of any kind. Perhaps some stanzas
have here dropt ont.

^ But this may be due to the transcriber.

'' They do so often even when there is fuU assonance.

12

1 Slan seiss, a Brigit co mbuaid, for gruaid Lifi lir co tràig,
is tu banflaith buidnib sluaig fil for clannaib Cathàìr Màir.

2 Ba mòu epert in cach rè airle Dè fri hErind [n-]uaig,^
indiu cid2 latt Liphe llg, ropo thir caich ala n-uair.3

3 0 dorèccu Cuirrech càin assa thàeb na torcm . . * tir,
dobeir mac[h]dath for cach meild in cor foceird for

cach rig.

4 Ba ri Loegaire co ler, AiliU Ane, adbol cor,
marid Currech cona li, nì mair nach rì roboi for.

5 Nì mair Labraid Longsech làn ìar tundsem a trichait^

chòim,6
1 nDind Rig, ba hadba gnàth, o thuc bràth do Chobthach

Choil.7

6 Gabais hÈrinn huàe Luirc, Òengus Roirend, rèim co sairc,
rolà flathi dar a feirt Maistiu munbrecc Moga Airt.

7 Ailend aurdairc, àlaind fius,^ fail mòr flathi fo a crius,^
ba mò foscnad tan atchess Crimthan Coscrach ina crius.

1 uill Ms.

* sic Ms. ind .u. cid Fcs.
8 arnuair Ms.

* torcni Fcs., but ni is not clear in the Ms. It looks to me
more like al.

** trichait Ms.

« c*m Ms. « àlaind fàl fuis Ms.

' c^l Ms, » cÌYus Ms.

13

1 Sit thou safely enthroned, trìumphant Brigit, upon
the side of LifPeyi far as the strand of the ebbing sea!
Thou art the sovereign lady with banded hosts^ that
presides over the Children of Cathàir the Great.

2 God's counsel at every time concerning virgin Erin
is greater than can be told: though glittering Liffey is
thine to-day, it has been the land of others in their turn.

3 When from its side I gaze upon the fair Curragh ,

the lot that has fallen to every king causes awe at each
wreck.

4 Loegaire was king as far as the sea, — Ailill Ane,
a mighty fate: the Curragh with its glitter remains —
none of the kings remains that lived thereon.

5 Perfect Labraid Longsech lives no more, having
trodden under foot his fair thirty years: since in Dinn Rig
— 'twas a wonted abode — he dealt doom to Cobthach
the Slender.

6 Lorc's grandson, Oengus of Ròiriu, seized the rule
of Erin, . ., sway; Maistiu of the freckled neck, son of
Mug Airt, threw princes across their graves.

7 Far-famed Alenn! delightful knowledge! raany a
prince is under its girth: it is greater than can be
fathomed when Crimthan the Victorious was seen in its
bosom.

1 i. e. the Plain of the Liffey, which included the town of
Kildare.

» i. e. the monks and nuns of Kildare.

14

8 Gàir a ilaig ^ lar cech mbuaid im chiiail claideb, cumtaig

drend,
brig a fian fri indna ngorm, gloim a corn for cètaib cend.

9 Gles a hindeòn comdad cùar, cliias a dnan do thengthaib

bard,
bruth a fer fri comlund nglan, crnth a ban fri òenach n-ard«

10 A hdl meda for cech mbruig, a graig allmar, ilar tuath,
a seinm^ rond do rigaib fer fo duilnib sleg còicrind cruach.

11 A ceòil binni in cach thràth, a finbàrc for tondgur fland,
a fross argait orddaiw^ mòir,'* a tuirc òir a tìrib Gall.

12 Co muir nAlban amal chair raith a orddan la cech rig,
rufer amaiU im cech cain Alend àlaind cona brig.

13 Bressal [Brecc] ba ri for Eilgg, Flachra Fobrecc fein

co ngairg,
Fergus Fairgge, Find mac Roith carsat boith i nAlind aird.

14 Adrad lithaS ni fiu cliias, solud na sen slabras btis,
is brèc uile larna thur indid Alend is dùn fàs.

* inaig Ms.
2 seium Ms.

^ or[] Fes. I think I can make out orddam. O'Curry,
Lect. III, p. 182 prints òrddai.

* màir Ms.
» lithu Ms.

15

8 The shout of frìnmph heard there after each victory
around a shock of swords, a mettlesome mass; the strength
of its warrior-bands against the dark-blne battle-array; the
sound of its horns above hundreds of heads.

9 The tuneful ring of its even-coloured bent anvils,
the sound of songs heard there from the tongues of bards ;
the ardour of its men at the glorious contest; the beauty
of its women at the stately gathering.

10 Drinking of mead there in every home-stead; its
noble steeds, many tribes ; the jingle of chains unto kings
of men under blades of five-edged bloody spears.

11 The sweet strains heard there at every hour; its
wine-barque upon the purple flood; its shower of silver
of great splendour; its torques of gold from the lands of
the Gaul.

12 Far as the sea of Britain the high renown of
each king has sped like a meteor: delightful Alenn with
its might has made sport of every law.

13 Bresal Brec was king over Elg,i Fiachra Fobrec
with a fierce band of warriors; Fergus of the Sea, Finn
son of Roth, they loved to dwell in lofty Alenn.

14 Worship of auguries is not worth listening to, nor
of spells and auspices that betoken death ; all is vain when
it is probed, since Alenn is a deserted doon.

1 A poetic name for Ireland.

16

15 Foglass a ngen i tìbes duit a maig^ . . . [p. 50a] tiiàith

crlcha Cuìrc,
di cech lin ronalt a hiiair doringne luaith Liphe ^ Luirc.

16 Currech Lifi lir co hor, Currech Sètnai, sith co ler,
is mor rig frisrala cor Currech Corpri^ Nio[d] fer.

17 Cathair Màr, ba forgu delb, reraig hErind ilar ndolb,
ce chutgàre oc a ràith roscàich a ngal ilar fodb.

18 Flachna Fomn^, Bresal ran rerigs sàl co snigib sleg,
trlcha 6 ruirech rein cu hor '^ gabsat tìr im Themair Breg.

19 Benna luchna, àlaind port, imma ndessid ilar fert,
fega latt i nAlmain aird adba[id] TaidgS maic Nuadat

Necht.

20 Fodbse Feradaig, fo mind, imma n-aigtis^ buidne bend,
a barr bre[c]glas, a brat lìg, is mòr rig ralà dar cend.

21 Dunlang Fornac[h]ta, ba fial, flaith fri Nlall ro chathu clòi,
ce adfeissed scel do neoch ni hè in bith cetabòi.

22 Brigaiss Illand im[ma] thuaith trìchait catha fri cech rig,
huàe Ennai, ald fri uath,i'^ nl bu sluag cen rijin rig.

^ ngein Ms.

2 maig [] Fc8. maig : : it(?) Ms.

^ liphi Ms. ' cor Ms.

* corpre Ms. » thaidg Ms.

^ rerid Ms. » immundaigtis Ms. Cf. Èriu IV, 28, 30.

• trichait Ms. ^ nath Ms.

17

15 Bright is the smile that smiles on you from the
plain . . . of Corc's land; of each generatìon which it
reared in turn Liffey of Lorc has made ashes.

16 The Curragh of Liffey to the brink of the main,
the Curragh of Sètna, a land of peace as far as the sea,
— many is the king whom the Curragh of Carbre Nia-fer
has overthrown.

17 Cathàir the Great — he was the choicest of
shapes — ruled Erin of many hues : though you cry
upon him at his rath, his i prowess of many weapons
has vanished.

18 Fiachna of Fomuin, glorious Bresal ruled the sea
with showers of spears : thirty great kings to the edge of
the sea seized land around Tara of Bregia.

19 The Peaks of luchna, delightful place, around
which many graves have settled — behold in lofty AUen
the abode of Tadg, son Qf Nuadu Necht!

20 The apparel of Feradach — a goodly diadem —
around whom crested bands would move; his blue-speckled
helmet, his shining mantle, — many a king he overthrew.

21 Dunlang of Fornochta, he was generous, a prince
who routed battles against the sons of Niall: though one were
to tell the tale to all, this is not the world that was once.

22 Illann with his tribe launched thirty battles against
every king, Enna's grandson, a rock against terror, it was
not a host without a king's rule.

1 I translate a gal.

18

23 Ba ri Ailill ernad rath, fris * ndressed cath crodond cruaid,
Cormac,2 Corpre, Colmàn Mòr, Brandub, barc i mbatar

sluaig.

24 Ba slicht flatha Fselàn find, Fiannamail fri forbud fland,
Bran mac ConaiU co llin glond, ba si in tond dar cach

n-ald.

25 A Brigit 'sa tir atchlu, is càch a ùair immudrà,^
rogab do chlù for a chlù ind rig, is tu fordatà.

26 Tathut bith[f]laith lasin Rig cen a tir i fail do riiaim,
a ue Bresail maic Dein, slàn^ seiss, a Brigit co mbuaid!

* resi Ms. ^ ij^mudri Ms.

* cormac mac Ms. * islan Ms.

19

23 AiliU was a king that would bestow favour, against
whom a fierce blood-dark battle-host would rise; Cormac,
Carbre, Colman the Great, Brandub, a barque in which
were hosts.

24 Faelan the Fair was a track of princeship, Fiana-
mail with . . .; Bran, son of Conall with many deeds, he
was the wave over every cliff.

25 Oh Brigit whose land I behold, on which each one
in turn has moved about, thy fame has outshone the fame
of the king — thou art over them all.

26 Thou hast everlasting rule with the king apart
from the land wherein is thy cemetery. Grand-child of
Bresal son of Dian, sit thou safely enthroned, triumphant
Brigit!

20

Notes

1. seiss, 2 sg. s-subj. of saidim 'I sit'; cf. the past subj.
nosessed Ml. 135 a 13. — for gruaid Lifi. For the poetical use
of gruad 'cheek' in the sense of 'side' applied to places cf. dar
slimgruaid scer Sencharmain LL 215 a 38. — lir co trdig. Here
and in lir co hor 16, rèin cu hor 18 the genitive attribute pre-
cedes the noun with preposition, on which it depends. — for
clannaib Cathàir Mdir. Cathàir Màr, who fiourished about the
middle of the fourth century — his grandson Bresal Bèlach died
in 435 — was the ancestor of the Hùi Dùnlaing-e and Hùi
Chenselaig, and many kings of Leinster were descended from him.

2. uaig. This is my conjecture for the faulty uill of the
Ms. which yields no rhyme. — ala n-uair. In order to get the
full number of syllables I have substituted the older ala for the
later ar of the Ms.

3. assa thdeb. Translate, perhaps, 'whose side'. — dobeir
machdath for cach meild. Here for has taken the place of ar.
Cf. ba mòr a n-adùath ar machtath ar sceol (sic leg.) adtdrfas
dòib, EC. XIV, p. 452, 26. — mell t 'ruin, destruction '. See Win-
disch s. V. and add : is meth 7 is mell {milliud LL) dond fir,
CZ. in 3. It is the noun from which millini 'I destroy' is
derived.

4. Lòegaire, i. e. Lòeguire Lorc, son of Ugaine Màr, king of
Ireland. Ailill Àne, son of Lòegaire Lorc. — Currech cona li.
In a poem ascribed to Finn in LL 191 b 31 the phrase cona U is
applied to the hero Currech himself. — robòi for. As to this
order of words see CZ. VIII 183, and add : cid fo, cid for bèus
bemmi, Imr. Snèdg. ed. Thurneysen, § 7.

5. Làbraid Longsech, son of Ailill Ane. According to Rawl.
B. 502, 135 b 42 his reign lasted only nineteen years. — tundsem
m., literally, *a trampling under foot, treading', verb-noun of ^o-
nessaim, as dlnsem of di-nessaim, comainsem of con-nessaim.

6. huae Luirc, i. e. Labraid Longsech. — Òengus Ròirenn,
i. e. Oengus Ollam Amlongaid, grandson of Labraid Loingsech.

21

As Marstrander has pointed out to me, Ròiriu stands for Ro-Eriu,
the opposite of Bec-Eriu, now Beggery Island. — rèimm co sairc
I can make nothing of sairc. An leg. òs aird? — Maistiu munbrec
Moga Airt. I can find no such person in the genealogies. Notice
the ahsence of mac, on which see CZ. YIII, p. 179.

7. The first verse as it stands in the Ms. has one syllable
too many. As the last word shonld, in assonance with crius and
atchess, end in a non-palatal consonant, I have altered fuis into
fius. fdl 1 regard as an insertion made when fius had been
misread as fius. fdl fuis would mean 'wall of residence'. —
foscnad. This I take to be the verb-noun of fo-scannaim 'I toss',
in a metaphorical sense 'I agitate, scrutinize'. In the former
sense it occurs in Ml. 63 b 17, in the latter ib. 96 a 4. — Crim-
thann Coscrach, son of Feradach Findfechtnach. According to
Rawl. B. 502, 136 a 5 he was slain hy Rudraige mac Sittride.

8. cumtaig. The meaning of this noun which occurs four
times in SR (see my Contributions and add cumtaig ar cest 1103)
has not been made out. It seems to denote a mass, band, number,
or the like.

10. for cech mbruig. Alliteration with meda shows that we
have to restore mruig. — dtdl-ne f. (later duille), a singulative
of duil 'leaf', like W. dalen from dail.

11. finbdrc. The word also occurs in Br. D. D. 81: cid
finbdrc totessed treu. — fland 'dark-red' is, like the Homeric
oìvoxp, a common epithet for the sea. Cf. fogur fairgge flainne,
Liad. and Curithir, p. 24, 15. — moir. I have altered the Ms.
reading mdir in order to restore the rhyme with oir.

12. rufer dmaill ac. The meaning of this idiom is perhaps
'it flouted every tribute'. As to dmall f. see my Contributions
s. V. and p. XII and add: bebais brdn-dmaill mbratha \ mac
mòrdlaind Murchada, LL 133 a 19.

13. Bressal Brecc, son of Lugaid Lòthfind, grandson of
Fiachu Fobrecc. — fèin co ngairg, a poetical order of words for
co fèin gairg. — Fergus Fairgge, son of Nùadu Necht. — Find
mac Roith. I cannot find him in the genealogies.

14. fiu 'worth', with acc. Cf. fiu còicait ciimal LL 145 a 28;
bafiuEirinn a oenur AU 902. — solud {*so-lith) m. 'something

porteiiding luck', often nsed together with sèn. -— is hrèc uile
iama tlnXr. Cf. is brèc uile acJit Isucdn, Fèl. ^ p. 44. — indid,
literally, ' in which is ' (Thurn. Handb. § 776) , generally nsed in
the sense of 'when, since'. For fiirther examples see Strachan,
Èriu 1 12, and add : inid ed so file and, Èr. 1 120 § 12.

15. foglass a ngen (ngein Ms., perperam). foglass (W. golas)
recurs in the sense of 'bright' as applied to a smile in Anecd.
171 §182: nimbi foglas fonn gen combras oca mbitis. — gen
'smile' seems ^ginally a neuter u-stem. We have the gen. gg.
in mac Genna meic Cuitbiiida, Anecd. II 57, 1 if this is mis-
written for Gena. Otherwise Genna might stand for the ad-
jective genda. The nom. pl. occurs in the Triads § 91: tri gena.
But in gen chon ib. the word has passed into the feminine gender.
In Fianaigecht p. 16 § 42 however we have the nom in cais-gen.
In mod. Ir. it is masc. — criclia Ciiirc. According to Hogan's
Onomasticon this is an ancient name for the barony of Burren
and Corcumroe, which would hardly suit our context.

16. Currech Lifl ac. Here three divisions of the Curragh
are distinguished, which so far as I know are not mentioned
elsewhere. Currech Sètnai, probably so called from Sètna
Sithbacc.

17. forgu, an indeclinable neuter like digu, rogu, togu,
uccu. Cf. fri forggu fer LL 52a25; forgo SR 3708. It also
occurs as a proper name, Forggu, Rl. 502, 141 a ; mac Forgco,
ib. 141 b. — ce chuigare. Cf. ce chotnaiclestar, Corm. s. v. lethech.
Here g, as often, stands for ng. congarim (congaur) in the tran-
sitive use of * I summon, call upon ' is of frequent occurrence, e. g.
cotgair Lugaid imach hè LU 67 b 1, where hè is redundant ;
cotgart Lòegaire don tsluag, CZ. III 45 ; coitgèra in Coimdiu cuci,
ib. IV 243, 16; it è conacartatar Pdtraic a bronnaib a mdthar,
Trip. 134, 6.

18. Fiachna Fomn^, i. e. Fiachna ba accid, son of Cathàir
Màr. I take Fomn^ as the gen. of Fomuin, the name of a place
in Leiuster (Hogan). — Bresal, i. e. Bresal Bèlach, wlio according
to the Annals of Ulster died either in 435 or 436 A. D. — tricha
ruirech ac. According to various Leinster accounts twenty-five
or thirty Kings of Leinster are said to have been at the same

23

time high-kings of Ireland. But in the following note in LL
377 b their number is reduced to ten: atberat Laigin coig rìgh
fichet dihh a rige nÈrenn 7 ni faghait eolaig Lethe Cuinn acht
deichnebur .i. Loeguiri, Labraid, Aongus, Oilill, Ferghus Forta-
mail, Crimthann Coscrach, Bresal Eneclighlas, Nuadha Necht,
Conchabur Abratruadh, Eocha,ìà mac Ènfnja Ghenselaig aon,-
adhaigh. In a late poem in Rawl. B. 502, 83 a, beginning Crnc
rlg trichat do Laignib rogabsat Banba mbladbil their number is
increased to thirty-five and their names are enumerated ; but this
result is arrived at by splitting up their names and making e. g.
two kings Oengus and Amalgaid out of Oengus Amalgaid.

19. Benna luchna, not identified. — dessid, orthotonic do-
essid (de-en-sed, Thurn. § 692). — adbaid. 1 have restored this
form so as to have rhyme with Almain. — Tadg mac Nuadat
Necht, a famous druid of Cathàir Màr's. See more about him in
Fotha Catha Cnucha, ed. Windisch, Irische Grammatik, p. 121.

20. fodbae, the nom. pl. of fodb, a masc. u-stem, later
fuidb. — Feradach. 1 do not know which Feradach is meant.
The older form of this name is Feredach (Rawl. B. 502, 116 c 24),
= Fer-fedach a derivation trom Fer-fid (Ferid) 'Man-wood', just
as Muiredach stands for Muir-fedach from Muir-fid (Muirid,
gen. Muireda Tig. 564) 'Sea-wood' = O.W.Morguid. The Irish
proper names which derive their first or second element from fid
'wood' are very numerous, snch. slS Fid-abra, Fid-gndth, Fid-gus,
Fid-gein, Fid-genid (cf . 0. W. Guid-gen, Ohg. Witu-kint), Fid-chad,
Fid-chu (0. W. Guid-ci) , Fid-airle, Fid-gal, Fid-muine, Fid-rue,
*Fid-ub (of which Fidbad in Failbe Fidbad, Tig. 623 is the
gen.) &c. Cdirid (= Cdir-fid), gen. Cdiredo, Cdem-fid, Crin-
fid &c. — brecglas. The spelling breglass of the Ms. also occurs
in YBL p. 108 a 25 in a passage where the book of Lismore has
breacglas. See Best's edition of Suidigud Tellaig Temra, Eriu
IV 146,5. There it seems to be a noun. Further examples of the.
adjective are : for Banba brecglais broenaich, YBL 125 a 43, a
mBreifne brecglais, ib. 125b31, echlach bronnmar brecglas,
BB 257 b 8.

21. Dùnlang Fornachta. He was the son of Ènna Nia. The
name Fornachta is now Forenoughts in co. Kildare, near Naas

24

(Hogan). — fri Niall i. e. against the descendants of Niall of tlie
Nine Hostages. Thronghout the fifth and sixth centuries there
was constant warfare between Leiuster and them. See the
Annals s. a. 458, 461, 494, 500, 502, 503 &c. — ce adfeissed. Here
ce counts as a separate syllable, as it does in ci asberar a Ididi,
RC. XV 310, 5 ; ce atchethea tredua cain, LL 52 a 19, ci atrandsat
òible òited, Anecd. I 51 § 7, while in Fèl. Prol. 182 im Chiardn
ci atcois and in Anecd. I 54 § 28 ci adcitis cèo (sic leg.) it has
to be run together with the foUowing syllable.

22. Illand, son of Dùnlang, f 527. He fought the battle
of Cell Osnada against Munster in 490, and that of Inde Mòr
against Ulster in 503. — huae Ènnai, i. e. lUand. — ald fri
ùath. The Ms. has nath. But a long syllable and rhyme with
sluag are required. all ' cliff, rock ' is poetically applied to a hero,
saint, or other prominent person. Cf. lulian, all nglaine, Fèl.
Jan. 6. — riàn, gen.riàin, seems to be a living word and to
mean 'strength, power, sway, control' or the like. Cf. ar dhith
neirt 7 riain, Oss. III 254, 4. ar easba riain, ib. 244. It is pro-
bably the same word as O'Clery's rian .i. rèisi 'a span'.

23. Ailill i. e. Illann's brother, who succeeded him as king
of Leinster 527—549. — Cormac, Ailill's son, f 553. — Corpre,
Cormac's son. He succeeded his father. — Colmdn Mòr, son of
Diarmait, died either in 558 or 563. — Brandub mac Echdach,
king of Leinster 595—605. — bdrc i mbdtar sluaig. Thus Bresal
Brecc is called bdrcc inna mbò, Kawl. B. 502, 83 a and Aed of
Ailech bdrc ordain din, Ir. T. III, p. 21.

24. Fdeldn, the son of Colmàn. His wife Uasal, daughter
of Suibne mac Colmàin died in 643 (Tig.) — Fianamail, son of
Màeltuile, f 680. — fri forbud fland. Here forbud is obscure to
me. — Bran mac Conaill f 695.

25. immudrd. Cf. dirsan dò in rian rord, LU 51b45.

2(>. uè. I have no other instance of the use of ùe in the
sense of 'grand-daughter'.

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